The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Miscanthus sinensis and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, xe2x80x98Gold Barxe2x80x99. xe2x80x98Gold Barxe2x80x99 represents a new cultivar of Japanese silver grass, a cold hardy, perennial ornamental grass grown for landscape use.
The inventors discovered and selected the new cultivar, xe2x80x98Gold Barxe2x80x99, in a cultivated area at their nursery in Scappoose, Oreg. xe2x80x98Gold Barxe2x80x99 was discovered as a seedling produced by open-pollination of Miscanthus sinensis xe2x80x98Strictusxe2x80x99 (un-patented) and selected after evaluation in a test bed for a period of seven years.
The new cultivar xe2x80x98Gold Barxe2x80x99 was selected for the unique banding pattern of its leaf blades combined with its dense, bushy and upright growth habit and its shorter height in comparison to xe2x80x98Strictusxe2x80x99 and other cultivars of Miscanthus known to the inventors.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by culm division in Scappoose, Oreg. in late winter of 2000 by the inventors. The characteristics of this cultivar have been determined to be stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and represent the characteristics of the new cultivar. The new Miscanthus has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in temperature, day-length, light intensity, soil types, and water and fertility levels without, however, any variance in genotype. The measurements, observations, and descriptions that follow describe plants that were grown outdoors in Scappoose, Oreg. and observed for a period of seven years. These attributes in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Gold Barxe2x80x99 from xe2x80x98Strictusxe2x80x99 and any other selections of Miscanthus known to the inventors.
1. The foliage of xe2x80x98Gold Barxe2x80x99 exhibits a banding pattern of 12 to 17 creamy yellow bands while the banding pattern of xe2x80x98Strictusxe2x80x99 consists of 2 to 3 creamy yellow bands per leaf blade of about 10 inches in length.
2. xe2x80x98Gold Barxe2x80x99 is short in stature; reaching a height of about 4 to 5 feet while xe2x80x98Strictusxe2x80x99 reaches a height of about 7 to 8 feet.
3. The growth habit of xe2x80x98Gold Barxe2x80x99 is upright with rigid culms and foliage that is more dense and bushy in comparison to xe2x80x98Strictusxe2x80x99.
4. xe2x80x98Gold Barxe2x80x99 blooms in mid to late October in the Northwest and may not bloom in northern climates due to early frosts. xe2x80x98Strictusxe2x80x99 blooms in September.
5. xe2x80x98Gold Barxe2x80x99 has more densely banded foliage, is more upright in habit, and has stiffer leaf blades than the Miscanthus cultivars xe2x80x98Kirk Alexanderxe2x80x99 (un-patented) xe2x80x98Puenktchenxe2x80x99 (un-patented), and Miscanthus xe2x80x98Little Zebraxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,008), three cultivars known to the inventors to have banded foliage and short stature.